Tinctures, Topicals & Other Low-Key Ways to Use Cannabis
Not everyone wants to smoke or vape—and that’s completely fine.
At Arkansas’ Finest, you’ll find several low-key, non-inhaled options like tinctures, topicals, and capsules that can fit more easily into your routine.
This guide explains what they are, how they differ, and how to find them on the menu.
For a full product overview, see Medical Marijuana 101: Product Types.
Tinctures: flexible and precise
What they are:
Liquid cannabis extracts, often in a small bottle with a dropper.
How they’re used:
Taken by mouth, either under the tongue (sublingual) or swallowed
Sometimes mixed into food or drink (follow the product’s instructions)
Why patients like them:
Easier to take a precise, consistent dose
No smoke or vapor
Many options for THC/CBD ratios
When browsing your store’s online menu, tinctures will usually list:
Total mg THC/CBD per bottle
Mg per dropper or serving
THC/CBD ratio (THC-dominant, CBD-dominant, 1:1, etc.)
If you want a refresher on cannabinoids, check out THC, CBD & Beyond.
Topicals: cannabis you don’t ingest
What they are:
Cannabis-infused lotions, creams, balms, and salves designed for external use only.
Key points:
Applied on the skin, not ingested
Generally not used for intoxicating effects
Formulated with other soothing ingredients depending on the product
When using topicals:
Follow label directions closely
Avoid applying to broken skin unless the product explicitly states it’s safe to do so
Capsules and softgels: familiar format
What they are:
Pre-measured doses of cannabis oil in a capsule or softgel.
Why patients like them:
Feel like taking a supplement or vitamin
Easy to keep dosing consistent day-to-day
Discreet and simple to travel with inside Arkansas
Capsules behave similarly to edibles in terms of onset and duration, so the same “start low and go slow” mindset from Edibles 101 applies here.
How to decide which format is right for you
Some questions to consider:
Do you want something you can dose precisely and adjust over time? (Tinctures and capsules can help here.)
Do you want something non-intoxicating and localized? (Topicals may be a good discussion point with your healthcare provider.)
How comfortable are you tracking mg amounts and timing?
Your doctor and pharmacist are the best people to talk to about how these formats fit into your overall treatment plan. Your budtender can help you translate that guidance into specific products and explain how they’re used.
Finding tinctures, topicals & capsules at your store
To see what’s in stock at your preferred Arkansas’ Finest dispensary:
Go to the Arkansas’ Finest homepage
Click your location under Find Your Nearest Dispensary & Order Online
Filter the menu by Tinctures, Topicals, Capsules, or similar categories
If anything on the menu is unclear, ask your budtender to walk you through the differences. They can help you narrow down options based on your doctor’s general guidance and your comfort level.
